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Eight-time Grand Prix winner Daniel Ricciardo admitted that his time with McLaren has been an emotional ride for the Aussie with high moments of motivation, combined with slumps of frustration. Conversations regarding his place in the team, given his underwhelming performances, have taken over the paddock recently.
As reported by PlanetF1, the McLaren driver seemed mentally exhausted by not only having to prove his talent to himself and the world, but also due to all the speculation regarding his future. He said:
“It kind of ebbs and flows where sometimes I’ll get down on myself. But then other times, I’m fired up and motivated to prove a lot of people wrong and prove myself right. More times than not I’ll kind of chuckle at the doubt because even last year, for sure there were times when I was trying to figure it out.”
He further said:
“Already in April and May [last year] there were articles like ‘he’s lost it’, but six months earlier in 2020 I was regarded as one of the stand-out drivers of that season. The reality is I’ve not forgotten how to drive in six months, I haven’t lost my competitive edge, it’s just kind of a moment in time I knew I could come out of.”
The 32-year-old has had a rough time so far this season and currently stands eleventh in the Driver Standings with a 37-point difference to his teammate Lando Norris, who stands seventh.
"You don’t just win for free in F1" - Daniel Ricciardo on 2021 Monza win
Daniel Ricciardo has spent his time at McLaren proving to the team that he has what it takes not only to keep up with his teammate but also to outperform him. This was reflected in his glorious win at the Italian Grand Prix last season. However, the Aussie claims that many put off the win as a "one-off" race.
Referring to McLaren boss Zak Brown's comments on Ricciardo's lack of performance, he said:
“Nobody will get into me more than myself as well, so someone telling me I need to pull my finger out won’t change me because if they are telling me to pull my finger out, I’m telling myself much more. It’s more about me proving myself right. Even like Monza, now people are like ‘oh, it was just a one-off’. You don’t just win for free in F1, it doesn’t just happen. You have to be a very certain individual to execute a perfect weekend in F1.”
He continued:
“I think long story short, I know I can still do it and I believe 100% in myself. Even if that wavered a bit last year, it’s definitely back. It’s easy to look on paper and be like ‘it’s no different’ but I’ll keep at it. I think people forget, so right now I’m excited to remind people.”
McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl revealed earlier this week that the team is working closely with Daniel Ricciardo to help him extract the performance they strongly believe he has the potential for.
